A Matter of Time
by Sapphira
Summary: He has all the time in the universe. He can turn it back or drive it forward with just a few turns of a dial here and the push of a couple of buttons there. It's only a matter of time... [9thRose]


"So, what exactly are you tryin' to fix?" Rose asked, peering across the controls at the Doctor who was tangled in a mess of wires. A slight grimace furrowed his brow as he fiddled around with various cords, a hint of impatience on his voice as he replied, "The TARDIS." 

His blonde companion frowned at him. Disregarding his tone, she inquired further, "Yeah, but... _what part_ of the TARDIS?"

"Nothin' in particular. Why?"

"You're always over here tryin' to fix somethin'. I suppose I'm just curious, I guess," Rose said with a shrug, "Need any help?"

"Yeah, like _you'd_ know what to do," the Doctor shot her a glance, arching an eyebrow at the thought of the girl working on his alien time machine. Catching his glance, she licked her bottom lip and stepped closer to him, nodding her head at his busy hands. "I would if you showed me what to do," she suggested, tucking a loose strand of flaxen hair behind her ear.

The Doctor looked up at her once more, this time with a playful grin plastered on his face. He nudged her arm softly with his elbow and chuckled, "Nah, wouldn't want to risk you breaking my ship."

"What's the harm then, Doctor?" she asked with a wink, taking another step closer to him and picking up one of the wires dangling off of his shoulders. "How can I break somethin' that's already broken?"

"Ah, I'm sure you could find a way," He watched as she tugged on a wire, the girl genuinely convinced that she was helping. She jumped as the fragile wire suddenly split in half, sending a flurry of sparks flying out of each end and in every direction. "Like _that_!" the Doctor growled, hastily snatching the broken wire from her hands. "Thanks Rose, I just fixed that, you know..."

"Sorry," she replied meekly, stuffing her hands into the kangaroo-styled pocket of her sweatshirt and taking a step back to lean against the central control panel. She watched his hands work the wire back together before pulling the sonic screwdriver out of a pocket in his beat up leather jacket and using it to fuse the wire back into one piece.

"There, good as new! Now do me a favor, Rose Tyler, and keep your pretty little hands to yourself," he mumbled as he pulled the cord over his shoulders and let it fall to his feet. "I've got enough work to do here without you making more for me," he added, not realizing how harsh his words sounded until they had already left his mouth. He looked up apologetically, watching her closely for a reaction. All he got was a dejected Rose, picking at the dirt under her fingernails and pretending to ignore him. After a few moments and no response, the Doctor dropped the remaining wires and took a step forward, hovering over the girl's slouched form on the control panel.

"Stop sulking."

"I'm not!"

"You _are._"

"Am _not._"

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothin'..."

"You're a terrible liar."

"I ain't lyin', so drop it, will ya?"

"If nothing's wrong, why are you snapping at me?" the Doctor shouted impatiently.

"You're the one who bloody barked at me first!" Rose yelled back, before slowly adding, "Sorry. I guess... I'm just a little tired, that's all."

The Doctor wasn't in the mood for an argument. He paused before a flaky grin lit up his face.

"You silly apes. There's a whole universe waiting to be explored and you lot, you spend a third of your time snoozin'," the Doctor teased in an attempt to cheer her up, playfully adding, "If _you_ decide to do that, I might just have to find me a more exciting companion."

"Oh gimme a break, will ya!" Rose retorted with a sassy grin, "I was practically smothered to death by a living mannequin's arm, nearly chopped in half by a plastic copy of my boyfriend, almost died when my planet was blown to smithereens, got hurled back through time -- nearly killed by a bunch'a alien zombies, and--"

"And you were lovin' every second of it!" the Doctor beamed with a twinkle in his eye. Who was he kidding, he thought. Another companion? He had shared his travels with many a companion, but the moment he grabbed this young blonde's hand and told her to run for her life, he recognized that there was something setting her apart from all of the others. This little lady was in a league of her own. And that intrigued him.

"Okay, ya got me... I was havin' the time of my life! Really, you were right," Rose giggled, extending her index finger and pressing it into his chest lightly, "Not a bad life."

"But better with two," the Doctor pointed out. He began to regret his words as Rose started tracing small circles on his chest with her still extended finger, holding his gaze as the atmosphere shifted.

Her touch was electrifying, and perhaps even a bit alarming... were his hearts _supposed_ to flutter like that, or was he turning ill? It was the third time in a period of about twenty-four hours that the rhythm of his two most vital organs seemed to slow to a stop, if only for a moment. The first being as he stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, waiting for a favorable reply from the young blonde, the goddess who had saved his life and that of her entire planet. Only a few moments later, he felt them ache as rejection bore into them, threatening to rip them apart. He wouldn't stand for that though, no. He had to have her... so he asked her again. Oh how she had breathed new life into him the moment she came flooding back through the doors of his precious time machine.

However, the startling surges in his chest didn't stop there. The second incident had occurred during their stay in Cardiff, crushed against a cold wall as angry arms reached for them through the metal bars of an unstable door. They promised to go down fighting together. He had told her that he was glad she came into his life and she had smiled, returning mutual feelings on the matter. Her lips had never looked so inviting then and he thought he had caught her stealing a quick glance at his as well.

But neither of the previous thrills in his being compared to what he was experiencing right now. With a solitary finger of hers lazily dancing on his chest, giggling that infectious giggle, grinning that sly little grin. His hearts skipped a beat, or maybe three or ten, he couldn't be sure. If this kept up, he was certain that he'd die of heart failure. All the same, he found it increasingly difficult to keep himself from pulling her body into his and giving her the kiss of her life. He would hold her firm, but gently, with a hand in her silky golden hair and the other trailing the small of her back. He'd press his lips to hers and--

"Doctor?" Rose piped up, poking her finger into him repeatedly, amused when he jumped in surprise, "Hello, anybody in there?"

Oh god, could she feel the irregular beating of his hearts beneath her fingertip? He frowned, wondering if she knew how greatly she affected his train of thought. His frown burrowed deeper in his forehead as he scolded himself inwardly. What was he doing, losing control of his thoughts over the slightest touch of a silly human girl -- let alone a girl he'd met just hours before? It was completely out of character, he tried to convince himself. He's a Timelord, the last of his kind and there are other more important things to do than fall in love. He doesn't have time for romance. He doesn't have time for complicated feelings or the effort it takes to try and analyze them. He doesn't have time for dinner, buying flowers or meeting parents.

At least that's what he _told_ himself, but he knew the real truth. He couldn't fool himself, no matter how hard he tried. No time for romance, he thought? He had all the time in the world! He could turn it back or drive it forward with just a few turns of a dial here and the push of a couple of buttons there. He slowly began to understand that excuses weren't going to work. Not with him and especially not with her.

"Doctor, are you feelin' alright? Are you sick?" Rose asked worriedly, raising her palm to his forehead to feel for a temperature. She frowned at the touch of his skin, much cooler than her own. "Maybe you should get some rest, you've been working too hard."

"Different body chemistry," he explained, brushing his thumb over her frowning brow. "I'm fine."

"Even so... you look exausted. Get some rest. I don't want you fallin' asleep on me in the middle of our next adventure... wherever, or should I say 'whenever' that may be."

Which raised an important question...

"Are you saying you'll stay?" the Doctor asked, carefully choosing his words. He swallowed hard.

"Say again?"

"It may not be a bad life," the Doctor began, his eyes turning dark as he hardened his facial expression, "But it _is_ dangerous -- you've seen it first hand. I asked you before if you wanted to go home and you didn't give me a 'yes' or 'no' answer. I need to know, Rose. Are you going to stay with me?"

He paused, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Or do you want to go home? Your choice. What'll it be?"

Rose caught her breath as she returned his gaze. She frowned as her mind retraced their recent adventures together. There certainly had been some close calls, but they'd made it, hadn't they? Besides, she could go home and get hit by a car and die tomorrow just as quickly as she could have lost her life during any of her previous adventures, as brief as they were. She remembered what the Doctor had said as she stepped out into the year five billion. She could spend her whole life worrying about dying, but what if... just _what if_ she survived? Everything has it's time and everything dies... and sure, someday she'll die too. But right now, the man standing in front of her holds the secrets of time in the palm of his hand, and she's fairly sure that as long as she's with him, she won't be short on it anytime soon.

"I want to stay... with you..."

"You sure?"

She drew another breath.

"After all that I've seen... I mean, knowing that there's so much more out there -- well you said it yourself, Doctor. There's a universe to explore, and I'm not about to let you go find someone more excitin' than me to explore it with!" Rose teased, brushing him aside, "'Sides, you'd just wind up disappointed and travelin' alone again, cause no one's more excitin' than me, an' that's a fact!"

"Oh, I don't know, Rose... I think I've seen better."

"You ain't seen nothin' yet, Doctor," Rose grinned, her tongue darting to the side of her mouth playfully, "But before we run off to save the world again, I would like to pop back into my own timeline for a bit, if ya don't mind. As soon as the TARDIS is up and running again, that is. I'd like to drop by my flat. You know... pick up a few things, check in with my mum... that alright?"

"Your wish is my command," the Doctor flashed the blonde a charming smile, returning to the pile of cords on the floor a few feet behind him. He resumed his previous work, adding, "Though I don't see what's so appealing about the year 2005... a bit boring, if you ask me. But if that's where you want to go..."

"Don't worry, we won't stay long. We'll be off in time and space again before ya know it!"

The Doctor smiled to himself as Rose finally budged from her seat against the control panel. His eyes followed her and he felt another enthralling surge pulse through his veins as she turned to meet his gaze before disappearing down the long corridor. Yes, he thought, it was very likely his heart's might give out from all of the little surprises this human drew out in him by simply casting him a glance. But he shakes his head when he realizes he doesn't care one way or the other...

"And Doctor?" Rose hollered down the hall before closing her bedroom door. "Don't forget to get some sleep!"

She is, after all, fantastic.


End file.
